Friction warp-rack for looms.



No. 644,429. Patented Feb. 27, I900.

W. J. IRWIN.

FRICTION WARP RACK FOB LODIIIS.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

I lNVENTOH W/ TNESSES A TTORNE ks frame A of a ribbon or other loom having the UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

lVILLlAM JOSEPH IRWIN, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

FRlCTlON \NARP-RACK FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,429, dated February 27, 1900.

Application filed September 25, 1899. Serial No. 731,617. (llo model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOSEPH IR- WIN, of the city of New York,borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Friction VVarp-Rack for Looms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved friction warp-rack for looms arranged to enable a weaver to conveniently and quickly regulate the tension of the warp, to dispense with the cumbersome weights heretofore employed, and to protect the warp as much as possible from dirt and dust by reducing the distance the warp has to travel from the rack to the lay, so that the fabric is not liable to become streaky.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of myinvention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatiomin which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views. 7

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is an-enlarged plan View of theimprovement with part in section, and Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

The improved device is mounted on the usual lay B for beating the filling into the warp C, the latter being'engaged bythe usual heddles D, and the fabric produced winding up on the usual cloth-beam E, as indicated in Fig. 1. The'warps O'unwind from warp beams or carriers F and pass under glass rods G and thence to the heddles and the lay, as indicated in Fig. 1, each of said beams or carriers being in the form' of a spool or reel mounted to rotate loosely on a shaft H, journaled in open bearings I on a rack-frame I, secured to a rack-casing J, attached to the loom-frame A and having a cover J for closing the front of the rack-casing during the night or when the loom is not in use, so as to protect the warps from dustjand dirt. (See Fig. 1.) When the loom is in operation, the cover J is swung rearward, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to allow the weaver convenientaccess to the different warp beams or carriers and to allow of adjusting the tension of the Warp O on each individual warpbeam, as hereinafter more fully described.

One side of each warp beam or carrier (see Fig. 2) is formed with a number of apertures engaged by pins K, projecting from a disk K, mounted to rotate loosely on the shaft H, and on said disk is secured the outer end of a helical spring L, secured at its inner end to the shaft H,the disk and spring being inclosed in a barrel N, secured to the shaft H. On the peripheral surface of the barrel N is formed an annular grooveN', engaged by a hook 0, formed on a shank O,mounted to slide longitudinally in a bearing P, held to turn on the rack-frame Land on the outer threaded end of said shank 0 screws a wing-nut 0 against which presses one end of a spring Q, coiled on the shank O and resting with its other end on thebearing P. Now it will be seen that the shank O is pressed on by the spring Q, to hold the hook O with more or less force in frictional contact with the barrel N, and as the tension of the spring Q can be adjusted by screwing the wing-nut O inward or outward it is evident that the frictional contact of the'hook O with the barrel N is correspondingly increased or diminished.

It is evident from the foregoing that -the warp-carrier F is held against rotationor unwinding of the warp by the spring L, connected by the disk K and the pins K with said carrier F, and in addition the shaft His held against rotation by the hook 0 bearing against the barrel N. The power of the spring is'somewhat less than that of the friction device to allow the spring to hold the warp taut; but when the pull on the warp exceeds the tension of the spring L then said springwill exert a pull on the shaft H and turn the latter at the time the pull on the warp is sufficient to overcome the power of the friction device consisting of the spring-pressed hook O on the barrel L.

When the loom is working and the clothbeam E winds up the woven fabric,a pull is exerted on the warp 0 against the tension of the spring L, which latter holds the warp taut, and when the pull of the warp exceeds the tension of the spring then the spring turns the shaft H so that the carrier F, the disk K,

the spring L, and the shaft H rotate together to unwind the amount of warp required fora pick. Thus the warps O are always under the desired tension,and the operator by screwing the nut O inward or outward can give more or less tension to the barrel N, according to the nature of the warp for a particular carrier or warp-beam.

By the arrangement described the warp travels but a short distance from the warpbeam to the lay, and consequently but a small amount of warp is unwound at a time. Therefore the warp is not liable to become soiled by dust and dirt, as is frequently the case in the arrangement now employed in looms and in which the warp is passed overhead over rods and then down for a considerable distance before passing to the lay, and hence this exposed unwound portion of the warp during its travel from the warp-beam to the lay is liable to become soiled, and as a consequence the fabric will be streaky. Furthermore, the weaver by having the rack immediately in front of him can at all times see that the warps are under the proper tension and if not can quickly make such adjustment as to bring the warp to the proper tension by simply turning the nut O inward or outward, as the case may be.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a warp-rack for looms, a shaft mounted to turn in said rack, a warpbeam mounted to turn on said shaft, a spring-held barrel connected to said warp-beam for taking up the slack in the warp, and a hook frietionally engaging the said barrel and provided with a longitudinally-spring-pressed shank, as set forth.

2. In a warp-rack for looms, ashaft mounted to turn in said rack, a warp-beam mounted to turn loosely on said shaft, a spring-held barrel connected to said warp-beam fortakin g up the slack of the warp, a hook frictionally engaging said barrel and formed with a longitudinally-spring-pressed shank, and means for varying the tension of said hook, as and for the purpose set forth.

A loom having a rack, a shaft mounted to turn in said rack,'a Warp-beam mounted to rotate loosely on said shaft, a spring connected at one end with said warp-beam, and at its other end with said shaft, an adjustable friction device for said shaft, said friction device comprising a drum on the shaft, a hook engaging the drum, a spring pressing said hook, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a loom, a warp-rack, a shaft mounted to turn in said rack, a warp-carrier mounted to rotate loosely on said shaft, a spring connected at one end to said carrier and at its other end to said shaft, a barrel on said shaft, a hook slidable in a bearing 011 the rack, a spring coiled around the shank of said hook and holding it in frictional engagement with said barrel, and a nut screwing on the shank of said hook and arranged to adjust the tension of said spring, as set forth.

5. In a loom, a warp-rack, a shaft mounted to turn in said rack, a warp-carrier mounted to rotate loosely on said shaft and formed with apertures on one side, a disk loose on said shaft and having pins entering said apertures, a helical spring secured at one end to said disk and at the other end to said shaft, a barrel fixed on said shaft and inclosing said disk and spring, a hook slidable in a bearing in the rack and spring-held into frictional e11- gagement with said barrel, and means for varying the tension of said hook, as set forth.

WILLIAM J OSEPII IR\VIN. 

